Rangers infielder Michael Young said Monday night that Texas general manager Jon Daniels is mischaracterizing Young's position on seeking a trade.

Young told reporters he wants out not because of a "change of heart," but because the front office has not been up front with him.

"Now, I think it's important to address the inaccurate portrayal that is being painted. The suggestion that I've simply had a change of heart and asked for a trade is a manipulation of the truth. I want to be traded because I've been misled and manipulated and I'm sick of it," Young told the Dallas Morning News. He made similar comments to FOXSports.com and MLB.com.

“I know the truth and [Daniels] knows the truth,” Young told the Morning News. “I will sleep well.”

Young declined to specify how the Rangers have misled him. He did tell ESPN that a big reason for the discord was that the Rangers told him they weren't trying to trade when, in fact, they were discussing deals with other teams.

FOXSports.com reported Daniels had no comment when asked for his reaction to Young's statements.

Earlier Monday, Daniels told reporters that Young had changed his mind about wanting to be a designated hitter and had asked to be traded.

"Our first choice would be to go to camp with Michael playing a pivotal role on the club," Daniels said in a conference call. "We understand that he's had a change of heart about that role. If we can accommodate his request and in doing so, upgrade the club, we'd like to do that."

When the Rangers signed Adrian Beltre to take over third base last month, Young said he would move into the DH spot. Even then, "He made it clear then that it wasn't his first choice," Daniels said. Young told the Rangers "about a week ago" he wanted to be traded, Daniels added.

Club president Nolan Ryan said he has spoken to Young twice in recent days and said that Young told him he is not ready to become a DH. Ryan said Young is concerned that once he becomes a DH, he’ll be a DH for the rest of his career.

"At this point, his mindset is that in the best interest of his career for him to move on and play a position on a daily basis," Ryan said. "I expressed to Michael about our ball club and the role he would play and the number of at-bats he would get. I assured him from a career perspective that I didn't think this was a step down as far as his career is concerned."

Young told FOXSports.com that he was willing to become a DH for the good of the club.

“I’ll be the first to admit that I was not particularly keen on the idea of being a DH. But I did agree to do it. I wanted to put the team first," he told the site.

Young is owed $48 million for the next three years, which will make trading him more difficult. He has an eight-team list of teams to which he can be traded; he told ESPN on Monday night that he'd consider expanding that list on a "case-by-case" basis.

The Rangers would not specify which teams they have talked to -- the Rockies and Angels reportedly are two of them -- but Daniels said he already has heard from clubs that aren't on Young's list.

Before Young made his comments, Daniels said Monday that, from the club's perspective, the relationship is not beyond repair. Daniels added that if a deal can't be made to improve the team, the club hopes Young will report to spring training and perhaps accept his role. Ryan said he thought Young could get 20 percent of his at-bats playing in the infield. Daniels said the club remains committed to giving Mitch Moreland the chance to win the job at first base.

Young didn't sound like someone who wanted a reconciliation. He told FOXSports.com that he now is expecting a trade, which he said the Rangers had a right to explore all along.

“It’s disappointing that it came to this. I would have hoped for this thing to have been hammered out behind closed doors," he told the site. "But in light of today’s events, it wasn’t going to happen."